News & Stories

Vienna/Berlin. The hoteliers are devoting more and more to the topic of digitalisation and have recognized their lack of knowledge says the new survey of the German and Austrian hotel associations in collaboration with Roland Berger. They are opening up for start-ups but are also demanding more tools for their own operations.

Augsburg. Every week, approximately an extra 1.5 million people join the urban population worldwide, putting pressure on already heavily populated cities. As a reaction to this development, Swedish furniture retailer IKEA now introduces a flexible interior solution called Rognan reminiscent of a hotel innovation.

Hamburg. Of the five technology giants Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, German consumers see Facebook most negatively. Apple is the industry leader, Google services are the most frequently used. It's different in the US.

Zurich. For the traveler, smart assistants will become personal travel agencies, navigators, translators or tour guides and take over all administrative tasks such as ticket purchases or check-ins. According to a recent study, they will know better about his interests and know his preferences better than anyone else.

Augsburg. Innovative, funny and frightening things from the digital world. Today: Blockchain city / Biometric boarding / EHL's virtual assistant / Facebook with digital currency / Handbag with brain / Jumeirah's E-Butler / Language assistant learns sign language / Measure air from space.

Aachen. It was a bit like futuristic speed dating. At the two-day symposium "Smart Building Solutions 2019" in the Smart Logistics Cluster of RWTH Aachen University, scientists, start-ups, project developers and investors presented innovative solutions for smart buildings, sustainable neighbourhoods and how urban planning could look in the digital age. The conclusion here: Alone was yesterday, today the motto is: Together we are stronger. An excursion into a future that is already closer than many believe.

Amsterdam. Digitalisation is among the Dutch Zoku's focus on added value. The hybrid brand, born in 2016, embodies the spirit of innovation and experimentation of its founders Hans Meyer and Marc Jongerius. This week they have brought Jens Gmiat on board as Head of Operations, the former COO of Ruby Hotels. On the sidelines of an event, Marc Jongerius explained the principles of Zoku's digital concept which has turned into "an exciting digital transformation project, defining our entire digital and data landscape for all future developments".

Madrid. New research identifies the beginning of the end for room types as a key trend of the future. Other drivers of change in hospitality are the rise of tech-augmented hospitality and emotions connected to brands.

Berlin/Frankfurt. With its new next-generation retailing approach, Sabre Hospitality will in future enable hoteliers to offer individual hotel services in a more flexible and personalized way - and thus generate additional sales, even without booking a room. The vision and development of this next frontier for the future of hospitality will be presented at the 2nd HospitalityInside Think Tank in two and a half weeks in Berlin.

Siers. The online booking channels continue to grow in the Swiss hotel industry. OTAs such as Booking and Expedia are profiting, they generated 28% of the overnight stays last year. The average annual commissions paid by Swiss hotels to OTAs are estimated to amount to 61,000 CHF per hotel.